Sahara Mizu
Reference previous post.
I'm glad I came across Sahara Mizu's work. On manga, that is. For those who are unfamiliar, she's the author of Voices of a Distant Star and A Place Promised In Our Early Days. I have already watched those movies, but had no idea they were by Sahara Mizu when I watched them though, only found out after reading My Girl (which is a GREAT read. Very unpretentious, simple yet deep.) and did some searching around for more info on the mangaka.
Anyway, back to My Girl. I can't explain the feeling of reading it. A few times I could feel the tears welling up (but stopped, not good to cry in office), but never enough to really cry because the story is not written as a tragedy. My Girl is not a sad story (I generally shun sob stories because I don't want to be depressed). It simply points to some of the basic essences of humanity and distills it just enough for its presence to be felt. It doesn't try to lecture you either. The story just states plainly the consequences of human decision, human struggle and furthermore, human-to-human relationships.
In fact, at many points, it does a good job of making you glad that you are alive, and gives you newfound confidence in what it takes to be a person. In an understated way, it celebrates the simple human spirit.
Coupled with listening to Tanaziwa Tomofumi's Kimi Ni Todoke, it's perfect for when you want something simple but genuine.
I'm glad I came across Sahara Mizu's work. On manga, that is. For those who are unfamiliar, she's the author of Voices of a Distant Star and A Place Promised In Our Early Days. I have already watched those movies, but had no idea they were by Sahara Mizu when I watched them though, only found out after reading My Girl (which is a GREAT read. Very unpretentious, simple yet deep.) and did some searching around for more info on the mangaka.
Anyway, back to My Girl. I can't explain the feeling of reading it. A few times I could feel the tears welling up (but stopped, not good to cry in office), but never enough to really cry because the story is not written as a tragedy. My Girl is not a sad story (I generally shun sob stories because I don't want to be depressed). It simply points to some of the basic essences of humanity and distills it just enough for its presence to be felt. It doesn't try to lecture you either. The story just states plainly the consequences of human decision, human struggle and furthermore, human-to-human relationships.
In fact, at many points, it does a good job of making you glad that you are alive, and gives you newfound confidence in what it takes to be a person. In an understated way, it celebrates the simple human spirit.
Coupled with listening to Tanaziwa Tomofumi's Kimi Ni Todoke, it's perfect for when you want something simple but genuine.